ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Blake Hamilton scored 29 of his 36 points in the second half, Nick Perkins had 14 points and seven rebounds, and Buffalo beat Alaska Anchorage 85-79 on Wednesday night in the opener of the Great Alaska Shootout.Perkins missed the second of two free throws with 1:07 left but he grabbed the rebound. After a timeout, Buffalo turned it over and Augustus Simmers made two free throws to pull to 76-73.Hamilton went 1 of 2 at the line with 43.2 seconds left, Alaska turned it over and Hamilton made two more free throws for a five-point lead.Willie Conner added 12 points for Buffalo (3-1), which played its first game in the state of Alaska. The Bulls will play their next five games away from home.Hamilton was 3 of 9 from the field in the first half and 9 of 15 in the second.Diante Mitchell had 17 points and seven assists for Alaska Anchorage.Stitched USA Soccer Jerseys . The Brazilian goalkeeper signed a loan deal with the Major League Soccer club on Friday as he looks to get playing time ahead of this summers World Cup in his home country. USA Soccer Jerseys 2020 . The defence is doing its part, too. Drew Brees threw a pair of touchdown passes in the first half and the guys on the other side made sure that was enough, sending the Saints to a 17-13 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. https://www.cheapusasoccer.com/ . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. USA Soccer Shirts . -- Jonathan Drouin gave Halifax the boost it needed to edge host Sherbrooke Phoenix 3-2 in a shootout in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action. Custom USA Soccer Jerseys . Three came down to the fourth quarter while quarterbacks continued to shine in all four games; so important to the overall quality of the game.ELKHART LAKE, Wis. - Nelson Piquet Jr. was surging with confidence after winning the Nationwide race at Road America a year ago, optimistic that his success would lead to a full-time ride in NASCARs second-tier series. Now Piquet returns to the scene of his biggest stock-car racing moment still trying to find his footing on the next rung up the ladder. "Obviously, Im frustrated with our results," Piquet said Friday. "Were not where I wanted to be." Piquet, the first Brazilian to win a race in one of NASCARs major national series and the son of a three-time Formula One champion, ended up getting the full-time Nationwide ride he was looking for this year. He moved up a level with Turner Scott Motorsports after driving in the third-tier Camping World Truck series full time last year. He enters Saturdays race a respectable 13th in the Nationwide points standings, but he has had a pair of races end in wrecks while managing only one top-10 finish — ninth place at Michigan last week. "I think part of it is because it was a last-minute deal and we had to put a team together very quickly two weeks before Daytona," Piquet said. That hurts, Piquet said, given the level of competitiveness in the series. "Obviously, were fighting against Cup teams, so I dont think we have the best cars out there," Piquet said. "But I think if you get a team that works very well together, we can be competitive sometimes." Its telling, perhaps, that Piquets most notable moment this season was his infamous below-the-belt kick to fellow competitor Brian Scott after an altercation at Richmond International Raceway in April. If Piquet is to put that ugly moment behind him with another win this weekend, he might have to do it in the rain. Lightning in the area interrupted the Nationwide practice schedule Friday afternoon — drivers ended up practicing part of the afternoon on rain tires then changed to slicks as the track dried out — and there is a chance for more showers during Saturdays race at the scenic four-mile road course in Central Wisconsin.dddddddddddd That brings up the possibility of racing in the rain on specially designed grooved rain tires, something fairly common in other forms of road racing, but almost unheard-of in NASCAR beyond a memorable 2008 Nationwide race in Montreal. AJ Allmendinger said a wet race might be a blast for fans, but not so much fun for drivers. "Itll be entertaining for people to watch, because itll be insane," Allmendinger said. Michael McDowell has a road racing background and doesnt mind the idea of driving in the rain, but has some concerns about other drivers who dont have experience in wet conditions. "Theres a lot of guys that dont have any experience," McDowell said. "And because of that, when you have heavy rains and lots of mist and lots of spray coming off the cars and you barrel down into Turn 5 and all the guy sees is a red light, were going to have a caution every couple of laps." Said Nationwide series points leader Regan Smith: "I think, at this point, Id prefer that it stays dry and dont worry about it. Its tough enough learning a new race track." Piquet wouldnt mind rain, but knows hell have a tough time repeating his victory either way. After spending most of his career in open-wheel road racing — including a stint in Formula One, which ended in scandal after he deliberately crashed in a race to help his teammate, allegedly because he was ordered to do so by his team — Piquet decided to try stock car racing. Beyond his Road America Nationwide win last year, he also had a successful 2012 in the Trucks Series, winning twice and finishing seventh in the points. To help him take the next step, Piquet hopes his team can get its chemistry issues sorted out. "Its frustrating, because we know we have a car that can be running constantly, lets say, in the top 10 — but were struggling to get close to the top 10," Piquet said. "(Im) trying to give my best, and obviously Im pushing the team as much as I can for them to get these issues sorted and try to get better." ' ' '